


Indefinite Totality

by Anonymous



Series: Too bad my glock's bigger [1]
Category: Persona 5, Persona Series
Genre: Akechi Goro Needs Therapy, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst and Fluff and Smut, Artist Kitagawa Yusuke, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Betrayal, Crying, Cussing, Dimension Travel, Emotional Manipulation, Explicit Language, Good Boy Sakamoto Ryuji, Hurt Sakamoto Ryuji, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Let Sakamoto Ryuji Say Fuck, M/M, Manipulation, Metaverse (Persona 5), My First Smut, Other, Out of Character, Secrets, Shido Masayoshi's Palace, Smut, The Author Regrets Everything, Timeline What Timeline, What Have I Done
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-02-24
Packaged: 2021-03-14 03:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29535807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: After Shido's Palace, Ryuji is more than a little hurt from what his friends did.But with a little help from a man that looks just like his best friend, things start to spiral out of control, especially with the line between manipulation and motivation growing blurry.Or, the dimension travel fanfic where Akira is Ren from an alternate, well, dimension.
Relationships: Amamiya Ren/Sakamoto Ryuji, Kurusu Akira/Sakamoto Ryuji, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Persona 5 Protagonist/Sakamoto Ryuji
Series: Too bad my glock's bigger [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2170560
Comments: 7
Kudos: 47
Collections: Anonymous





	1. Tears you open, takes you home

**Author's Note:**

> My first Persona fanfic hell yeah

It wasn't like he planned on dying when he was hanging from that lever in the Palace, and it wasn't like he was trying to scare them, either. He just wanted to save his friends. 

"You jerk!"

Somehow, the first punch hurt as much as the last kick.

He wasn't really sure how this was his fault, or how they had any right to beat him up after he quite literally saved their lives.

This was uncalled for. 

Maybe he shouldn't have made that comment about Ann's crying face not being cute. He didn't know she was crying because of him! How was he supposed to know, he was trying to cheer her up! Were they that angry he lived?

Captain Kidd hadn't uttered a word since the blond walked up to the group. 

He groaned, pushing himself up to lean against the lamppost, squeezing an aching eye shut. He hoped he wouldn't have too many bruises, he didn't want his mom thinking the track team came back for more.

His mom. God, he missed her, but he couldn't make her deal with him while he's like this. Didn't want to make her have to relive the past.

... The track team. He furrowed his brows at the thought. This was the second time Ren just watched as he got into a one-sided fight. The first time he was happy for Ren to have been there, but now, he wasn't so sure.

When he fully came back to his senses, he grunted quietly, eyes squeezed shut to stop any tears from escaping. His body ached. He opened one eye to watch the girls wiping their own and walking back toward Yusuke and Ren.

"I'm feeling quite hungry. Shall we get something to eat?" The young artist muttered, still refusing to look in Ryuji's direction. His fists tightened slightly, with his mind screaming _I don't need your damn pity!,_ before he realized someone who pitied him would probably be helping him right now. He sunk lower against the ground.

"Yeah, let's get out of here! I want some tuna!" Morgana exclaimed, and- when did Mona get here? Ryuji shook his head. He must be delusional right now.

His team looked to Ren, who barely offered Ryuji a side glance an nodded to them, turning to walk away. He seemed slightly hesitant, and Ryuji let himself hang onto that, but at this point, he knew better than to think it was concern for him. They all followed, Futaba's head hanging low in the back.

It took everything in Ryuji not to start sobbing then and there- but, he had to be strong. He would be strong. He _is_ strong, he's a Phantom Thief for fucks sake! But he still felt bad for himself, much to his displeasure, his eyes glued to the figures of his friends already turning a corner down the street. He sighed to himself, pushing himself up to sit against the lamppost. Maybe he could sleep here? No, he'd get robbed no doubt. He rubbed his forehead, wishing Kidd would say something.

"Some friends they are." A voice behind him called, the sing-songy tone betrayed by the pity it held. It was Ren, no doubt, but it was a little odd to hear him talk like that. He turned around to watch his best friend step into his line of sight, looking down at him with recognition in his eyes, which was joined by misplaced relief.

Ryuji narrowed his eyes. "What the hell, dude!" He growled, struggling to push himself to stand. "You just let 'em do this shit to me, then act like you didn't just watch? More like some friend _you_ are, dude." He tried to be intimidating, but even to himself it sounded more like an angry middle schooler who didn't make the track team. 

Ren stayed quiet for a moment, looking over him. He stepped forward to wrap his arm around Ryuji's waist to help him stand, much to Ryuji's irritation. He smirked a little, leading Ryuji to narrow his eyes. "What, you think this is effin' funny dude?" _Dont say the fuck word. Dont say the fuck word._ He sighed, but Ren only shook his head. He pushed his glasses back toward his eyes, and began waking- leading Ryuji somewhere. His leg ached as he limped besides his leader, his only thought being _this definitely wasn't the direction of LeBlanc._

"I don't think it's funny, Ryu." The dark haired boy purred, leaning closer to the slightly shorter male. "Whatever." Was all Ryuji could bring himself to muster, his cheeks gone pink. Dammit, there was that too. His insufferable fucking crush. Didn't help that Ren had half the people they knew practically begging the guy to bang them. Ryuji furrowed his brows further as the other seemed to be looking over him- probably looking at the bruises he knew he had. His mom was going to be so worried.

Then, something struck him. He blinked and stopped moving, causing Ren to halt beside him. "What's wrong?" The other muttered, raising a brow. Ryuji turned to look at him, tilting his head slightly.

"How the hell did you get behind me?" He asked with slight suspicion. He'd watched Ren lead the others away, and then walk up to him from behind immediately after. He wanted to panic at how much that didn't make sense, but he couldn't with how gentle the other male gazed at him with what almost looked like amusement. Now that Ryuji had a good look at him, he realized a few things. For one, Ren looked different. Only slightly different, though. It was still definitely him, but a few things didn't look quite right.

He looked a little taller than the blond remembered. Usually they were the same height, with Ryuji only barely, _barely_ being the taller one by the very hairs on his head, but now he found Ren seemed to be a couple inches taller than him. He looked the same age for sure, if ever so slightly older. The height difference wasn't that big, either, it was like they switched heights, but in the heat of the moment whatever evil incarnate that would decide to switch their heights had mercy and gave Ren a couple extra slivers of height.

He was wearing the usual, although now he had a small earring on the side of his ear, and his hair seemed way more styled than he'd usually have it.

But, then again, he was probably delusional from getting the shit beaten out of him and having blacked out from the explosion.. but he checked Ren out often, it wasn't like him to miss something Ren did.

But, again, fatigue and all the shit he just went through.

Ren didn't seem to mind the way he was looking over him, only smirking teasingly. When he finally snapped out of it, the smirking didn't falter. "I look different, huh?" Akira asked in a low voice, causing the blond's blush to return twice as bad with a vengeance. He punched his shoulder. "Gonna answer me or not?" The former track star grumbled. He tried to glare, but found himself more flustered as the other chuckled. He definitely wasn't acting like himself.

"I'll tell you when we get there." Ren's vague answer didn't sit right with him. 'There?' Where the hell was 'there?' He only huffed, letting the other continue to lead him down the sidewalk. He tried not to complain when his leg started aching again.

He was strong. He was a Phantom Thief.

...

Ryuji stared at the other male with his brows furrowed. Or, what was left of them.

He would've laughed if he wasn't littered with bruises and exhausted. At this point, he felt like all Ren was doing was trying to fuck with him. He rubbed his temples, sitting on the soft bed as the raven-haired boy placed his glasses on the table directly across from it. It wasn't the first time he'd seen him without glasses, but everytime he couldn't help how his heartbeat sped up. He scooted over, expecting the other to sit beside him, but he instead opted to lean against the table.

"A hotel? Boss kick you out or somethin'?" Ryuji asked as he picked at one of his nails. The other chuckled shortly, looking at Ryuji with a weird look on his face. Said boy looked up, staring back at him. "Something like that." He shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. He looked smug. Like he knew something Ryuji didn't. It reminded him of Joker. 

The blond huffed, leaning forward slightly. "So, how'd you pull off that stunt back there, Renren? Recently get struck by lightning?" He smiled a little, pulling his uninjured leg up onto the bed to rest his arm on top of it. He earned a soft chuckle at that, though he wasn't sure he made the joke right. It's been awhile since he's checked up on his DC lore, and it annoyed him to have to read subtitles the whole time.

"You've always been a faster runner, if anyone's the Flash, it's you." Ren rolled his eyes playfully, running his hand through his hair. Ryuji had to nod.

"But, the real reason _is_ kind of hard to believe. You'll have to trust me on this one." His smirk returned, and before he could continue, Ryuji got a notification. He was going to ignore it, before he noticed it was from the Phantom Thieves groupchat, and not only that-

It was from Ren. 

Ryuji narrowed his eyes in confusion, wiping his fist across his nose when he felt blood trickle down from it. He looked back up at the dark haired male in suspicion. Was this some sort of prank? Hella rude to pull an identity theft prank on an injured guy, Ryuji thinks. He heard Kidd agree with him from the depths of his soul- looks like he's back. Ren looked the same as before, but began to look equally suspicious the longer Ryuji stared at him. "What?" He asked, raising a brow and narrowing his eyes slightly. Ryuji broke a sweat. Slowly, he raised his phone screen to show him the text. The male across from him sighed, before his smirk came back. "I knew you'd figure out I wasn't him eventually, even if I didn't tell you." He moved to sit beside Ryuji, who scooted away slightly. He was now, officially, fucking freaked out.

"Uh.. Ren didn't say anything about havin' a brother." He said nervously, looking the other up and down a couple times. He was met with a wider smirk. "He doesn't have a brother. I should know, I'm him, after all." That Joker-brand smirk finally made it's way onto his face, and there was no doubting this was Ren, whether a delusion he was having or the real one. He felt an arm snake around his waist, and his cheeks burned. He chuckled weakly. "... Uh?" He felt lips brush over his neck, and he gasped at the foreign feeling.

"R- Wait a damn minute, Ren, what're you-" He was hushed by a finger making it's way over his mouth. "My name's Akira, Akira Kurusu. Technically speaking I am Ren, just from another dimension. Cool, huh?" He sounded like he was teasing the blond in some way, the velvety voice finally being aimed toward him like he'd wanted for so damn long. He wanted to blurt out how gay this was, then remembered he'd be a hypocrite if he did so, so he instead stayed quiet and tried to comprehend what he was just told. "Another universe? Like the kinda shit in anime?" 'Akira' nodded, the hand at his side caressing gently. Ryuji swallowed. Considering the things he had to do daily- hang out with a talking cat, send calling cards to let evil people know they were coming for their treasure, and using an app to travel to a cognitive world with his fellow Phantom Thieves.. He decided the idea wasn't _too_ unbelievable. His breath hitched as the hand slipped under his shirt, and started caressing it's way up his-

"Fuck!" Ryuji flinched, suddenly aware of the bruises again. _Goddammit goddammit goddammit._ He huffed as Akira took his hand back, winking before he stood up to walk to where Ryuji assumed was a bathroom. He was most likely getting a first aid kit. That was just what made most sense. Sighing, he really let himself think about what the other had said. A different dimension? Kidd expressed his disbelief, and Ryuji felt himself shrugging. Ironic, the Persona within his soul that he can activate by pulling off a mask in a world held completely within an app was saying how fake something sounded. He found himself smirking as Kidd laughed with a snarky rebuttle. 

If it was true, _why?_ Why come here, and why help Ryuji and why _tell_ him? He hadn't much time to dwell on it as Akira walked back in. Just as the blond thought, he had some sort of ointment, or lotion, and a few bandages as well. He didn't return the smile he was given, instead looking to the ceiling silently as the other tilted his head up and pulled out a napkin to deal with his nosebleed. He shut his eyes.

"They don't seem to care about you." His eyes snapped open, darting do the side to meet the silver ones that stared back at him. He narrowed his own. "'Course they do." He grumbled, though he didn't sound like he agreed with his own words. Sure, he doubted his place on the team, and how much the others wanted him there, and if Ren knew about his feelings and just ignored them, and if Ann meant when she called him useless, and if they only kept him around because he has a Persona, but hey, that doesn't mean he doubted their care for him. And even if he did, it wouldn't be a big deal, and he'd just hide it. He didn't want to cause any drama in the team, so why do anything more than argue with Mona? If they're willing to take that cat's side in arguments, then why even bother?

Akira looked skeptical. He didn't speak for a long while, before pulling the napkin back after Ryuji figured he was done dealing with the nosebleed. "I can take care of myself, y'know-" He was not-so-gracefully cut off. "Would anyone who cares about you beat you to a pulp after you save them?" He moved his hand under Ryuji's shirt after getting done with his face, slowly pushing the cheap clothing up and pulling it over his head. Ryuji shuddered, gulping as his cheeks went as red as they had previously, and he found his leg was bouncing anxiously. Dragging his hand down a broad chest, Akira looked from the bruise it stopped on, and up to nervous brown eyes. "Does that really sound like something that someone who wants you with them would do? You don't deserve that, Ryu. You deserve so much more than them. They don't love you. Not like I do." He got quieter toward the end, though not the nervous quiet. He'd spoken in a low tone the entire time, but at the end it was downright suggestive. His eyes widened dangerously, in shock. He'd wanted to hear that from Ren for so long. _So long._ He found himself closing his eyes as the other leaned in, pushing the lotion and bandages to the side. He felt a hand cup his cheek, the other moving to caress his side. His breath hitched as those lips halted a centimeter away from his, almost touching but not quite there yet.

"Ryu, I want to protect you." He mumbled, pressing their foreheads together. "And they're the type of people I want to protect you from. They're manipulative, and only use you for your Persona. It's hard to accept, but I'll steer you away from them." The hand at his side traveled up his back, maybe checking for more bruises. Kidd had complained for short time, before he realised it was no use as Ryuji's heartbeat sped up. The hand at his upper back moved down to rub the hem of the blond's pants. "Morgana calls you useless and they agree. Yusuke thinks you're brash and vulgar. Ann finds you annoying. Makoto's student council president while you're a delinquent, she looks down on you. 'Ren's supposed to be your bestfriend, but he left you to get assaulted. Ha-" Ryuji cut him off by pressing their lips together, tears forming at his eyes. He knew Akira was right. He knew it and he _hated_ it. All the thoughts and emotions he'd worked so hard to push into the back of his mind until night were being spoken to him. By the spitting image of his bestfriend.

The hand on his cheek moved to wipe his tears away, pushing him to his back. Ryuji gasped into the kiss, digging his own grave as a tongue made it's way into his open mouth. This was a scenario he'd only dreampt of on lonely nights with his hand, only, with Ren. But he found himself minding less and less that it was the supposed 'Akira,' especially when the hand at his pants slipped itself inside, and he-

He opened his eyes as the other male broke the kiss, gazing down at the blond with hunger. He felt his cheeks go redder than he knew they already were. "Let me save you, Ryu." He couldn't deny someone who spoke to him in _that_ tone, could he? Nodding, he reached to put his arms around the other's shoulders, attempting to pull him down into another kiss. "Ah, ah, ah.~" Akira moved his hand down to caress a quivering bottom lip with his thumb. "I have to know you won't betray me." His smirk grew, and Ryuji narrowed his clouded eyes. "How?" He muttered, not paying attention to anything besides the finger moving across his lip. "Leave the Phantom Thieves."

Kidd, having stayed quiet through everything so far, quickly began arguing with Ryuji about how there was no way in _hell_ they could leave their team. Ryuji immediately snapped out of his panting stare, blinking in surprise. "... What? But-" Akira silenced him with a short kiss. Ryuji had his brows raised as Akira pulled back, caressing his jaw line. "You know they don't care, Ryu. I know how you feel. You feel like a burden to them, don't you?" He spoke in a soft voice, though it still had a smug undertone to it. Nonetheless, it was still comforting. "You'll never be a burden to me." He mumbled, and Ryuji felt his defenses break. The tears came back, and he moved to cover his face. Fuck, he'd wanted Ren to tell him that for so-

No. No more Ren.

Ren left him with two older men hovering over him.

Ren watched as the track team beat him to the ground.

Ren left him leaning against a lamppost late at night as he lead the team to go eat.

He would be strong.

He _is_ strong.

He's just not a Phantom Thief. 

Ryuji felt his hands be pulled away from his face, kisses planted across it. He felt himself laugh sadly. Perhaps it was time for him to stop lying to himself. Within him, Kidd could only hold onto his hat as an icy storm approached, threatening his ship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I may or may not make all the chapter titles song lyrics lmao


	2. Reasons to panic? (And fall into grudges traps?)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We get a little look into the Thieves' perspective.
> 
> (I did write them a little douchey, but that isn't because I don't like them or anything. It's just important to the story, y'know?)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Autocorrect, thinking I'm talking about a person's last name: *changes cumming to Cumming*
> 
> Me, in tears: I'm so sorry

Ren looked down at the message with uncertainty. 

"This just isn't like him! If he's having a problem he usually complains about it all day! That idiot, he can't just quit like that." Ann exclaimed from across the table, shaking her head in frustration. Rather than concerned, she seemed more irritated that she had to take the time out of her day to do this.

"Maybe he's being blackmailed or something?" Futaba chimed in, snickering at the thought. Yusuke shook his head from beside him. "With Akechi dead, I doubt there's anyone more who'd have the desire to do so, or anyone who's figured out he's a Phantom Thief." Ren winced at that.

The night before, they'd gotten a text in the Phantom Thieves groupchat from none other than Ryuji, who left a short message before leaving it and blocking all of their numbers. 

Ren couldn't help but think he was the only person who was even remotely concerned.

"Think rationally about this." Makoto interjected. She didn't seem concerned either, simply reading a book. "If he is being forced to do these things, don't you think he'd at least try to communicate with us in some way? He even turned his phone off immediately after sending that text. It's like he doesn't want to be found." Futaba nodded, considering her words, before she puffed out her cheeks. "And he didn't even quit in person! He took the cowards way out! Hmph!"

Ren furrowed his brows. A short simple message, yet it's been stuck in his head all morning. _i quit._ stared back at him from the screen. He couldn't help but sigh. His best friend quit. Just like that. He pinched the bridge of his nose in thought as Sojiro brought over a tray of coffee for each of them. Each of them, including Ryuji.

"What's with this blackmail business? ...Do you kids need me to get the police involved?" He muttered, and they all shook their heads. "We'll deal with it Sakura-Kun, don't worry." Haru said as she took her cup, bowing politely in thanks. He looked unconvinced, but took the now nearly-empty tray back to the counter anyway. Everyone had taken their respective drinks, with Ryuji's still sitting on the tray. Sojiro raised a brow at his absence, but didn't question it.

Ren was grateful for that.

"Has anyone called his mom yet?" Futaba asked, glancing up from her computer. She sipped from her own cup.

Ren looked past Yusuke to glance at her. "I already did. She said she thought he was staying the night at a friend's house so she didn't try calling him yet, but after she tried it went straight to voicemail." He pushed his hands in his pockets as the others nodded.

Nobody brought up the events of the night before- namely, how the girls reacted to seeing him alive after presumed dead for half a minute. Ren had a sneaking suspicion that had something to do with it. But, then again, he's taken that type of thing from the track team.. He'd figure it out. Ryuji wouldn't do something as crazy as this without reason.

The afternoon passed quicker than Ren would've liked. With everyone taking their leave, he would've enjoyed some time to think alone. And apparently, in this bitter world, alone translates to, 'with Morgana and Yusuke.'

Morgana hopped in through the window with a huff. "Care to explain why you made me leave all day?" He shot Ren an accusatory glare, although he didn't hesitate to hop onto the futon and into his lap. Yusuke set his sketch book down and scooted closer to the leader to reach down and pet Morgana, who purred happily at the contact. Ren tried to ignore how close they were.

"Well, we're having an issue." Yusuke took his hand back. Mona looked up with a raised brow. He snickered. "What? Did Blondie finally realize all of your googly-eyed stares were aimed at this bozo?" The animal asked as he looked from Ren to Yusuke, smirking as much as a cat could. The dark haired boy cleared his throat as he felt Yusuke's confused stare aiming itself at him. The cat laughed a bit. "You're so oblivious." He cuddled closer to his 'owner.' 

"Well... No." Ren sighed as he regained the posture he didn't quite have in the first place. Damn you Morgana. "It _is_ about Ryuji, though. He quit."

The animal slowly raised his head to look between the both of them. "Quit?" He inquired, tilting his feline head to the side. Yusuke nodded, which prompted the cat to roll his eyes.

"He'll be fine, he's just having one of his usual temper tantrums because the girls beat 'em up. It's nothing to worry about. Plus, when you go to school tomorrow, we'll see him." He yawned, curling into himself. "Pssh... He can't quit." Morgana purred to himself, smiling a bit when Ren reached down to pet him. "He's right, you know." Ren turned his head to see Yusuke had gone back to sketching. "You were the one who'd made a big deal out of this, and often times you do tend to rush into things without taking the proper time to think. I'm sure he's alright." He offered Ren a smile, and he found he had to agree with the artist.

".. Yeah." He mumbled, caressing Morgana's fur as he watched the other male sketch.

_".. -ur damn fault!"_

He startled awake in a cold sweat.

Ryuji's first thought when he peeled his eyes open was, a plain and simple, _what the fuck._

And, well, he had good reason for the thought. Especially considering a few things. 

This wasn't his house. Nor was it Ren's attic.

And his body ached. And he felt someone against his back (but _fuck_ if his touch starved self didn't love it). _A_ _nd_ his shirt was missing.

And so, once again; _what. the. fuck._

When he finally found the strength to open his eyes all the way, he glanced around the room. What he found didn't help much.

The space seemed pretty fake, too cliche to actually be lived-in. He darted his eyes around the room. His shirt was on the floor, and a Shujin uniform top and jacket were folded on a table across the room. Then, looking at the small stand beside the bed with a stack of notes advertising what he recognized as some hotel chain, he finally understood that no, this _wasn't_ a lived-in space, this was, in fact, a hotel. A fucking hotel.

A fucking _hotel_?

... Or a _fucking_ hotel?

He would've laughed at his own joke if it'd been made under different circumstances.

As if he wasn't already freaked the hell out, he felt the person behind him begin to stir, a soft humming noise coming from them. Their breath was hot down his neck, and thats when he finally realized what he should really be freaking out about.

Holy shit, did he fuck someone last night? It didn't help that the person behind him seemed to be a dude.

Fucked. Ryuji was, hopefully not literally, _fucked_

Still, he had a little hope that a hookup wasn't the case- he took a small solace in the fact that he _and_ the other's pants were still on.

But, apparently, that didn't stop a hand from slipping in and slowly making its way to rub at the hem of his boxers. His eyes widened, heart stopping for a moment.

He hesitantly tilted his head to the side, only to come face-to-face with a familiar, well, face.

Holy shit. _Ren?_

He shivered at the chuckle he was met with. It sure as hell didn't sound like Ren's usual quiet laughs. It was all Joker. He felt his face go bright red.

"Whoops, you caught me." The hand drew back to rest at his waist.

Then, like a slap to the face, it all came back to him.

Shido's Palace, getting beat up, _Akira._ Then, quitting the Thieves.

He groans at the wink Akira sends him, and turns his head back around, burying it in the pillow he'd been using before.

He heard another chuckle, before a soft kiss was placed on his shoulder.

He hated how he felt his ears burn. His chest fluttered, though. He was a gonner.

Huffing into his pillow, Ryuji opened his eyes again.

If it was Ren, this'd be a dream come true to him a couple days ago.

"Morning, Ryu." Akira muttered against the skin of his neck, pressing soft kisses up toward his ear. Ryuji shuddered, covering his face. "Mornin', 'Kira." He yawned, squeezing his eyes shut. He just wanted to _go back to sleep,_ but it seemed the other male wouldnt grace him with such a privilege. He turned his head to the side, once again meeting the beautiful silver eyes that gazed back at him. He wanted to kiss that dumb smirk right off him. His face redenned at the thought.

"Aw, a nickname already? Cute." The dark haired boy purred. "It'd be cuter if it didn't sound like a very specific anime protagonists' alias." Ryuji put up a scowl, flustered. This had nothing to do with Death Note, dammit. "Shuddup. I'm just tired." He stuck his tongue out at Akira, who only leaned forward and licked it with his own. And _Oh,_ Ryuji thinks, _o_ _h, holy shit, that's hot._

 _"_ You have school today, y'know. You should get up before you're late. Wouldn't it be a shame for them to call your mom about it?" He smirked, and it only widened as Ryuji glowered at him, still slightly flushed. "Fuck off, 'Kira. My head hurts.'

"C'monnnnn," He hummed, brushing his hand up Ryuji's chest to caress his chin, earning a shiver. "I'll let you call her on my phone if you get ready now. School starts in under an hour." His shit eating grin turned into a soft snicker as Ryuji's eyes widened, pulling himself out of Akira's embrace to hurriedly snatch his shirt off of the ground where it lay. After pulling it on and trying to ignore the _other_ scars he knew weren't from the girls, he looked around a bit, and- "Agh, dammit! I dunno where my uniform jacket is, dude!" He turned to scowl at the smirk he knew the other was wearing.

The smirk widened dangerously, and he kinda wished he hated the things it did to him. "Wear mine, then. It's on the table by my glasses." The smooth voice offered, gazing at Ryuji. Ryuji stopped to look at him for a moment because _damn,_ he's handsome.

He feels his chest tighten a little, the same way it does for Ren.

What a bastard.

"If you say so," He grumbled, turning to grab it. As he slid it on, he kinda liked how big it was on him. Maybe he'd actually tell Akira that so he could wear it more. He ran a hand through his hair, turning back around to face the boy in bed.

He swallowed.

"You look hot in my clothes." It seems Akira beat him to it. His face heat up as he averted his gaze. "Uh, yeah," He chuckled weakly. "You too. Uh, look. Hot. Too." He barely mustered. He got an amused chuckle in return.

"Ryuji, come over here." He turned his head as the taller boy beckoned him over with his finger, sitting up. Ryuji, for once, cursed his mind for always being so vulgar because _damn_ he can think of a thousand ways for this to play out that end up with Akira on top of him. Still, he headed over to the bed, shoving his hands in his pockets. Yet, it was in vain, as he ended up yanking them out two seconds later as two hands pulled him closer by his face.

Their lips were inches apart.

His pulse was practically blaring in his ears as the other male licked his lips, leaning in to capture the blond's own trembling ones in a kiss.

Ryuji's breath stopped short, feeling the way Akira's lips moved against his own in a slightly forceful dance, before a tongue pushed itself into his mouth. Once he finally regained his composure, he kissed back, grunting as he felt the other boy snatch his bottom lip with his teeth.

It took him a second to catch his breath when the other pulled away, slowly opening his eyes to see that same hungry expression he'd been met with last night.

"You're mine," He purred in a low tone, "okay?" He added the last word in a somewhat sweet voice, but Ryuji knew it wasn't much of a question.

Not like he'd say no if it was.

"Wanna have some fun after school? I'd say we could both use some stimulation.." Ryuji's breath hitched as one of the hands on his cheek trailed down to caress his collar bone. He nodded, smiling as he broke a sweat.

They fell silent for a moment, gazing at each other.

"You have 40 minutes, y'know." Akira motions toward his own phone on the table.

Well, fuck.

He turned and walked over to grab it, stepping past the garbage can with his broken phone inside, running a hand through his hair as he turned the device on. As it powered on, he took a moment to just look at the background. It was a photo of Akira, and someone who was _definitely_ Ryuji smiling with their arms around each other. His breath hitched in his throat. Of _course_ there'd be other versions of the rest of the team. Any belief he might've had left in this being an elaborate prank were officially down the drain.He wasn't sure if he even needed Akira to go into the MetaVerse at the same time as the Thieves to prove it. A quiet part of him worried that he could just be a replacement and that something had happened to the other him, but he pointedly ignored that annoying voice in his head and instead took in the picture.

He, the slightly older looking Ryuji, looked different in multiple ways, but most notably was his hair. It was also blonde, but rather than a box-dyed neon colour, it looked almost natural, like he'd actually gone to some salon and had it properly died. He's always wanted to do that, despite knowing how much money it costed. He also had what looked like an eyebrow piercing, although his brows were practically identical to _Ryuji_ Ryuji's own. His nose looked like it was bruising, as if he'd been punched there. The only other differences were clothing, of course, which consisted of some weird red bandanna with a black skull on it, and a yellow tee with some english writing on it. It did look like something he'd wear, honestly.

Akira looked practically the same, not wearing his glasses. Huh. He didn't seem to wear his glasses much, from what Ryuji could tell so far. Ryuji couldnt really see past the top of their torsos, But could see that Akira wore a black jacket with a gray shirt underneath, with some writing he couldn't exactly see well enough to read. There was some red styling on his jacket, which Ryuji thought looked pretty cool. His other self, for the lack of a better term, had his arm thrown around Akira's shoulders, a wide smile on his face as he pumped a fist in the air just barely out of camera shot. He had some sort of red fingerless glove on the hand he had thrown up in a fist, but not the other. Akira had red gloves on, though not fingerless. Akira's head was resting against his neck with an elusive smirk, eyes narrowed with his arm wrapped around Ryuji's back, his hand sprawled against his torso in a way that looked sorta suggestive. Ryuji wasn't exactly sure. But, if it was, the blondie next to him didn't seem to take the hint. He found himself smiling a little. He could also be oblivious like that sometimes. The picture seemed to be taken a while ago, considering Akira's hair was a bit shorter and he didn't have his earring yet.

He didn't realize how long he'd been staring before the phone faded to black from inactivity. He blinked for a short moment, snapping out of his silent trance. He turned back to sneak a glance at Akira, who he found was just gazing back at him with his usual smirk, though he could see a bit of hurt thrown in. He didnt think he was supposed to notice the pained look in his eyes, so he pretended not to. He smiled back, just a little, but even that elicited a response as the other male's own smirk widened upon seeing it. He turned back to the phone, swiping it open to see he needed to input a password. He turned to Akira to ask, but the moment he opened his mouth, he was cut off. "Prisoner," He said simply, pushing the blanket off himself and moving to stand. Ryuji raised a brow at that, but shrugged and typed it in anyway. Sure enough, it worked, and Ryuji found himself staring again as he saw the background.

It appeared to be a group photo with all of the thieves, minus Futaba and plus Akechi and a red-haired girl he didnt recognize. He furrowed his brows at both the absence of Futaba and presence of the other two, but figured he could just ask later. He took note of the bruises the other Ryuji seemed to have on his face. He tried to ignore how much time he could be wasting staring at Akira's phone like a dumbass. 

Tearing up at seeing his team, he flinched as he felt arms snake around his waist, once again brought back to reality. He was analyzing the photo like Yusuke might, he thought, although Yusuke would probably use fancier words to describe their outfits. Blinking the tears out of his eyes, he turned his head to the side. Feeling lips press against his neck, his face heat up. One of the hands at his waist lifted to press the phone icon, before moving back to hold onto him a little tighter. He turned to glance at Akira, but the taller boy simply rested his head on his shoulder, humming a chuckle as he pressed a few more kisses against his neck. Ryuji huffed, dialing his mom's number with a flushed face.

Ren was definitely right about worrying.

When he walked into school with Ann, they found that Ryuji wasn't there. After checking around the halls, they peeked in his class and found he wasn't there either. After looking around for a bit, they finally spotted him rushing in late, and heading straight for his class. When they tried to go up to talk to him, however, he took notice of their approaching footsteps and turned around. When he'd seen Ren, he looked confused, but stopped. His uniform jacket seemed a little too big.

Ren gulped at the visible bruise on his cheek.

The moment Ryuji's eyes settled on Ann walking beside him, they widened and he ran off.

Ren and Ann shared a look, before Ann took off after him. Ren quickly followed, hearing complaints from Morgana in the shaking bag. A few students glared at them as they ran by, but by the time they'd seen Ryuji reach his classroom and run in, the bell rang, and the few students left in the halls began to quickly file into their classes. Ann raised a brow, placing a hand on her hip. She turned to Ren, who only shrugged, turning to walk toward their class. She followed without any arguments, with Mona still grumbling from within the bag.

Ren hoped an apology was what the blond was looking for. He couldn't lose his best friend like this. He couldn't.

Ryuji exited the classroom impatiently.

It was finally the end of the day, and he could finally head back to the hotel to talk with Akira again. With his blunder this morning, aka, him being stupid enough to think Ren was Akira for a split second, he figured he should probably get out of there before he made a mistake like that again. At least he didn't have to call his mom anymore. 

He'd had to hide away in the upstairs' bathrooms during lunch, just in case any of them went around looking for him. And by them, he means that Thieves he totally doesnt miss. Nope. Nah. Not at all. 

As he grabbed his things from his locker, he turned to walk toward the exit. But before he could get there, he was stopped by Mishima, who blinked at him for a moment. He seemed to study the blond, looking for a moment at his slightly oversized top, then concentrated on his face for a short moment, too, before blinking and finally speaking up.

"Uh- hey Ryuji!" He smiled that beaming smile of his, tilting his head to the side. Ryuji didn't see anything odd about his behavior, so he smiled back. Well, nothing odd besides the staring he was doing at his cheek. Ryuji quickly brought a hand up to rub it, and winced. _Right_. "Yo Mishima, what's up? Been a while, man!" Well, it's been half a week. Same difference, right? The shorter boy nodded with a chuckle. "Uhm, yeah!" He rubbed his arm. Ryuji wrapped his own arm around the shorter boy's shoulders and began to walk toward the doors of the school again. "Wanna get beef bowls tomorrow, dude? I'll pay!" He offered, winking playfully. Mishima nodded eagerly. "Oh, yeah! Uh, but-" He shifted his eyes to the side for a short moment. Ryuji glanced in the direction he was looking, catching a glimpse of cat tail. _Subtle._ "-But, could you meet me on the roof in, uhm, ten minutes? Don't wait up for me!" He smiled and stepped away from his embrace. Ryuji raised a brow, but still smiled. Akira had told him to watch out for strange behavior from his other friends, but Mishima was probably, in fact, his only other friend, aside from that dude in the headphones he'd chat with that played guitar in the park sometimes. But, he hadn't really been able to talk to that guy as of late, seeing as everytime he was going to approach him he was beat to it by another guy with silver hair. He didn't want to get in the way, so he just turned and- fuck, back on topic. Mishima was probably his only other friend, and him seeing an animal on school grounds, without trying to throw it out? _Hella_ suspicious.

"Sure! See 'ya in ten!" He shot the other finger guns, and was met with that quiet chuckle. He watched the other turn and walk away, turning to glare at the set of stairs just as he was out of sight. Akira would probably consider this suspicious. While it was normal for Mishima to do stuff like this, it was usually because he needed names to write on the Phan-site, or because he wanted to work on the homework together. He quickly learned Ryuji couldn't be of much help with the latter, though. 

Plus, Mishima always made the reasons for their meetings clear. Like, _crystal_ clear. He trusted that Ryuji wouldn't tell anyone he ran the Phan-site, and when it wasn't that, it was just to hang out. Even Kidd, who hadn't been very happy with his actions thus far, agreed this was suspicious.

_'What do you think, Kidd?'_

_**'Eh, he's 'prolly doin' this for the Thieves.'**_

Ryuji narrowed his eyes. 

_**'Dont get that look, lad. Y'know he's friends with 'em too.'**_

Ryuji sighed.

_'I thought you_ wanted _me to change my mind and go back?'_

_**'Well, I also don't want 'ya to break down cryin' in front of 'em.'**_

Ryuji nodded. He trusted Kidd. 

He _was_ him, after all.

He headed back toward the doors. The halls were emptying by now, but a few students still remained. The sooner he got back to the hotel, the better. Though, he couldn't ignore the tiny steps he heard behind him. They sounded awfully familiar, like a-

Cat.

He thought back to seeing Mona's tail.

Kidd was most definitely right.

As he pushed open one of the doors, he hurriedly slammed it behind him. Just as he thought, on the other side of the doors was Morgana, who'd just gotten a face full of the one Ryuji'd stepped out through. The cat hissed irritably. "Get back here, Skull! Don't be a moron! Let us apologize!" He scraped his paws against the door. And Ryuji, conflicted with his feelings, just stood there a bit dumbly before he broke into a run, ignoring the weird looks he got from students around him.

He knew Kidd's complaints about how his leg would cramp up were right, but he wouldn't listen.

Mishima really set him up. For the Phantom Thieves. So they could 'apologize.' Fuck.

Maybe he wouldn't get beef bowls with him tomorrow. He scowled.

But, as he thought about it, what Kidd said was true. He was friends with all the Thieves and got nervous around all the chicks on their team- of _course_ he'd help them with whatever they want. Even if he didnt know they were actually the Phantom Thieves.

Even so, he knew it wasn't Mishima's fault. Don't shoot the messenger, or whatever that saying was. 

He's especially angry because he knows he'd probably accept their apology in a heartbeat.

He swallowed back the tears that threatened to spill. He could do this.

His leg screamed at him to stop, but he wouldn't let himself. He'd run the whole damn way to America to be able to get over his team faster.

At least he got a pity chuckle out of Kidd for that one.

"You shouldn't have pushed yourself like that."

Ryuji furrowed his brows.

"I know, 'just didn't wanna have to deal with 'em." He pouted, leaning back against the headboard. Thanks to his running, he now had a severely fucked up cramp in his leg. Akira said he'd deal with it.

Crawling onto the bed beside him, Akira rested a hand atop of his injured thigh. Ryuji met his eyes, weakly returning the smile he was given. His heart sped up.

He felt the darker haired male leaning in, his breath tickling his ear lightly. "Take off your pants."

Ryuji swallowed, his entire face turning red.

This fucking _dude._

He swallowed, pulling down the piece of clothing, feeling small under the lustful expression that was watching him.

_Damn, weren't they gonna deal with his leg first? Wait, that's probably what this is for._ Inhaling silently, he finally kicked them off, gasping at the hand that caressed him over his boxers. He hadn't even realized he was getting aroused yet, dammit. Akira's free hand lifted up to take Ryuji's chin, turning his head to force their eyes to meet. His face went redder than it already was, if possible, his heart feeling ready to shatter out of his chest and coat the both of them in crimson blood that matched the shade of his face. He forced back any noises that threatened to spill out.

"I know I said I'd deal with your leg, but I couldn't stop thinking about you while you were gone." He leaned in to place kisses along the ex-runner's jawline, seemingly satisfied by the _very_ audible hitch of breath coming from the other. "Unless it hurts that bad?" He punctuated the sentence by putting more pressure against Ryuji's arousal, and fuck it felt amazing but his leg hurt like hell.

The blond let out a moan, breath quickening as the hand rubbed a bit more vigorously. "K- _Kira-_ Ah!" He breathed out, biting his lip. He'd barely gotten a chance to sit down before he'd had his pants off him. "It- _ah!_ Hurts- _fuck-"_ He managed, squeezing his eyes shut as the hand slowed. Only after the hand removed itself did he open his eyes, to find Akira was just looking at him. He only looked a little dissatisfied, but understanding. Maybe slightly impatient? But that part seemed to be overruled by what looked like affection.

"Alright." The voice was still teasing, though, eyes shifting down to his injured thigh. The blond watched him as he thought over what to do for a moment, before reaching his hands down to gently rest on top of his thigh. Ryuji's eyebrows shot up, watching closer as the other boy began to softly knead into the skin. He blinked for a moment. A massage? He still felt himself flush from the contact, not quite used to being touched as often as Akira liked to yet. Not that he didn't like it, no, quite the opposite. He loved how touchy the other was, his affection made Ryuji's heart stutter. Even if he was now squirming uncomfortably with an erection.

"Didn't know y'could give massages, 'Kira." Ryuji breathed, still a bit bothered from his newfound hardon. He jacked off pretty often, but god _damn_ somebody else touching him was something he could get used to. Those silver eyes raised to make contact with his own, holding his gaze for a short moment before finally speaking with a small smirk. "I used to do this to my Ryuji, figured you'd like it just as much as he did." The words made the blond blink, going quiet for a minute.

He thought back to the photos he'd seen on Akira's phone. Wasn't great to hear that Kamoshida fucked up his life there, too.

"What's your Ryuji like? Wait, you _used_ to? Did he get the leg surgery?" He asked, watching as the gorgeous eyes of silver showed a tint of deep red. He shifted nervously, suddenly feeling like he shouldn't have asked that. Akira looked back down at Ryuji's leg, shrugging a bit. "That doesn't matter, does it? I have you now, Ryu." He smirked a bit, but he didn't have the same glint it had before. Ryuji was about to apologize for if be said something wrong, but was cut off by his own inhale as one of Akira's hands moved back to his boxers, pulling the fabric down and licking his lips at the sight. Ryuji's breathing picked up as Akira's free hand wrapped itself around his length. He gasped, instinctively thrusting up into his hand. Akira's smirk finally seemed to return in its entirety, the hand massaging his thigh continuing its soothing kneading while his other began to move up and down Ryuji's dick, thumb rubbing at the slit. He was average sized, if a bit on the larger side.

"Ngh- 'Kira, I-" He bit his lip, squeezing his eyes shut. He felt ike his whole body was on fire as he moaned out. He gasped as the hand squeezed at his head, before his thumb stroked along a vein, continuing with its jerking moments after. Akira looked up to meet his eyes, his own narrowed with desire. "Say my name again," He purred, leaning in to press a chaste kiss against Ryuji's lips. "A-ah, f- _fuck!_ Aki- Mmh-! _Ren!"_ He barely realized what he said- saying his ex-best friend's name while jerking off has become like second nature at this point. As the hand slowed down, he opened one of his eyes, only to be met with a slightly angry- maybe jealous?- look from Akira. He'd only realised what he said when he was yanked into a bruising kiss.

He struggled to keep up as the hand on his thigh suddenly moved, and he whined a bit as the other bit into his lip _harshly._ He gasped for breath when the other moved back, his dick throbbing at the sight of Akira's lips looking slightly swollen, his lips covered in spit. Damn, if Akira looked like that, then how did.. He shivered, shrinking back a bit as one of his hands was brought to Akira's- hard- crotch. His eyes widened again, only slightly, as he nervously gulped, rubbing it through the jeans the other was wearing. The sound of his panting was silenced as his lips were once again captured by the taller boy, a tongue forcing its way into his lips and down his throat. He was almost thoroughly distracted by the throat-fucking, but soon reopened his eyes- _when had he closed them?-_ at the feeling of something hot and ever so slightly wet against his hand. He fought to glance down to see Akira moving over him, using his hand to grab the both of their erections snd push them together.

Ryuji gasped into the other's mouth, but the tongue wouldn't retreat. He just barely managed staggered breaths through his nose before the hand holding their dicks together began to move, jerking them off quickly. Precum leaked from his own cock, seeing Akira's was already coated in it. Ryuji screamed moans into the others mouth, still struggling to breathe through his nose. Akira's free hand moved into the back of his pants to squeeze his ass, and Ryuji swore he's never felt bliss like this. Well, bliss minus the underlying thought of _holy shit I can't breathe._

Akira finally pulled back to break the kiss, a string of saliva hanging between them. Ryuji could feel the spit all over his lips and chin but opted to ignore it, gasping out loudly when finally given the chance. He arched his back at a particularly well-timed stroke, his loud moans mixing in with Akira's just-as-loud ones. He looked at Akira and okay oh _wow,_ he looked _hot._ Just like Ryuji, there was some spit still on his lips, his eyes hooded with pleasure and _lust_ as he stared at Ryuji, his face flushed a gorgeous bright pink with sweat rolling down the side of his neck. Speaking of necks, Akira finally seemed to remember Ryuji had one, and ducked his head down to lick at it, dragging his tongue around it as the hand between them sped up. Ryuji thrust his hips against him, finally bringing a hand up to wipe the spit off of his mouth, feeling pretty damn close to cumming when he heard Akira moan _his_ name against his neck. He shuddered, gasping when he felt teeth sink into his neck. It hurt.

When he finally came, he moaned a loud, "A-ah! D-dammit, _'Kira!"_ thrusting his hips one last time as he felt the sticky liquid hit his upper thigh. He gasped out breaths, gripping the sheets so hard it actually began to hurt his hands. "A-ah...!" He slumped back against the headboard when he felt Akirs climax soon after, not missing his low, "Fuck, _Ryuji...!"The_ black haired boy slowly moved his hand from their spent dicks, letting himself slump against the blond beneath him. Ryuji's breath was scattered into tired gasps, coughing as he felt himself choke on some of his own spit. He panted, his hands releasing the sheets to just fall at his sides. He grunted a bit when he realized his leg hurt even _worse,_ probably from how Akira was quite literally on top of him, but tried to ignore it best he could for now.

Was this even okay? He let his eyes fall shut, feeling the boy on top of him begin to move, getting off of him and pulling him down under the covers. He opened an eye to see Akira staring down at him with a soft smirk, taking off his shirt and reaching to pull Ryuji's clothing off afterward. At least he left on their boxers.

As Ryuji let his eyes fall shut again, he relaxed into the bed, letting out a surprised, but tired noise when one of Akira's hand reached down to knead into his thigh again. He felt the other boy's fluffy hair brush against his forehead, before a soft kiss was placed on his cheek. His breath hitched for probably the millionth time as he felt a lick at his earlobe.

"You're mine." His voice was smooth, maybe a bit rough, which was to be expected from what they'd just done. "Not Ren's, not anybody else's." He heard a small chuckle, and while he could faintly hear Captain Kidd saying that something about this just wasn't _right,_ which, by something, Ryuji knew he'd meant _everything,_ but he couldnt bother to listen, letting sleep claim him as the other continued to press soft kisses against his ear, still caressing his thigh. He'd only dreampt of this kind of scenario with Ren. But.. Ryuji doesn't think he minds that it's not Ren. He smiles a little. He actually kinda likes it better this way. Maybe.

Ren glared at the floor of LeBlanc's attic, running a hand through his hair. When they tried to get Mishima to lead Ryuji to the roof with some excuse, he'd just- slammed the door in Mona's face! How the hell did he know Mishima was trying to lead him to the roof for them? Did he know? Even after they went through the trouble of making sure Mishima wouldn't throw Morgana out because he's Ren's cat. Goddammit.

He took his glasses off, rubbing his eyes with a quiet sight. They'd figure this out, and get Ryuji back. What was he without his second in command? He furrowed his brows, moving to fall back against his futon.

Did Ryuji really get upset enough at the girls' actions yesterday to leave? He'd like to believe it's more than that, which it probably is. That's definitely part of it, though. While Ann tried to brush it off like it didn't matter during lunch, Ren knew it wasn't a coincidence Ryuji quit literally hours after the girls roughed him up for scaring them.

Did he think they were actually mad at him? Maybe he'd had enough of all the jokes aimed at him. Or worse.. Maybe Ryuji just had enough of him. He shook his head- Ryuji was his best friend, he wouldn't just.. Ugh. His head hurt.

Arsene gave him a few reasons, but he didn't agree with any of them. Why would Captain Kidd convince him to leave? Ren wanted to rule out blackmail, but knew he couldn't. And why the hell would Ryuji just get bored of it? Sure, he didn't have a great attention span, but he _enjoyed_ thieving. He wasn't sure if that was supposed to be a joke or not, Arsene's rare humor wasn't something he'd put himself through the torture of trying to understand.

He didn't say anything as Morgana climbed onto his chest, just ran his hand through his fur and continued thinking

_He'll get his best friend back, and find out what's going on with him._

He turned on his phone, trying his hardest to ignore the background- which consisted of him, Ryuji and Ann- and went to his messages, only having to scroll down for about half a second before his finger hovered over a contact.

_.... Even if it means getting_ him _involved._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SNAP BACK TO REALITY
> 
> Dont set super hella high expectations for this story. While I do got a lot planned, I mostly write at like 2 am and have no sense of whats coherent and what could be easily mistaken for Yosuke Hanamura's mental breakdown during Kanji's Palace


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